


The glitter glue accident

by windingwoods



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Gen, Valentia Gift Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 03:19:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17256614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windingwoods/pseuds/windingwoods
Summary: How to enjoy the holidays with an array of rowdy kids making a mess of your house.





	The glitter glue accident

**Author's Note:**

> happy holidays!! i had a lot of fun writing my gift, so i hope you'll like it!

The snow has started falling outside, drifting and swirling behind the fogged glass window, and Lukas finds himself sinking a bit into his armchair with the relief that comes from knowing all his guests have already arrived. He’s no fool, he knows the kids will want to get out and play in the cold as soon as the snow piles up high enough, but that’s far less worrying than thinking about any of them having to drive in the snow. Their licenses are far too fresh for him to trust them with that just yet. 

“Um,” a tentative voice he recognizes as Faye’s says from behind the armchair, and Lukas cranes his neck towards her. She’s holding something in her hands, a cup, and she side-steps the armchair in a halting motion; she still has to warm up to him completely, but he thinks, when he’s feeling optimistic enough, that they’re getting there. Right now he’s filled with the warm buzz of that exact optimism.

“It’s, huh, chocolate? Hot chocolate,” Faye says, taps the tip of her right foot on the carpet twice. “Tobin’s making it for everyone, so… I mean, it’s pretty good.” 

She thrusts the cup into his hands and takes a few steps back, eyes darting to the kitchen where Lukas thinks he can see Silque giving her a thumbs-up. 

Hiding a smile, he looks down at the cup: there’s steam wafting up with the smell of chocolate and… something spicy? Maybe cinnamon, maybe Grey managed to distract Tobin long enough to slip some chili in there. “Thank you,” he tells Faye, careful to sound as genuine as he feels, and he takes a first sip mixed with the whipped cream on top. 

Yeah, definitely chili. 

He swallows and the burning feeling it leaves down his throat is not an unwelcome one, although just a tad bit stronger than what he’s used to. “It’s very good,” he says, to which Faye answers with a small smile and an excited jerk of her head that makes her braids swing with the motion. 

Then she scampers off to where Alm’s sitting at the big table sitting in the middle of the room. He seems to be busy with some last-minute gifts to wrap before he leaves to visit his family and Lukas has been watching his struggles and mixed successes for the past twenty minutes or so with a mixture of affection and good humor. Apparently Faye has too, because she puts a firm hand on his, extricates the current gift (a big, fluffy teddy bear, Lukas would guess it’s for Rinea) from his grip and starts re-wrapping it in a way that won’t make it look like a futuristic sculpture. 

She whispers something into Alm’s ear, lips curved into a teasing smile, and he squawks but shoves at her as he’s laughing. He sticks a shiny rosette to her forehead and grins as if he’s come up with the prank of the century, only for his eyes to widen in horror when Faye snatches the glitter glue. 

Before Lukas can say anything, chaos breaks loose. 

 

*

 

“Now, I’ve got to say.” Lukas breaks the silence at the dining table, deliberately breezy. The kids already look sorry enough and most of the glitter has been cleaned from his possessions, only leaving traces on kids’ hair and clothes. Kliff has a big smudge of sparkly pink on the bridge of his nose and his only comment about it when the others pointed it out had been, “how becoming.” 

Every ruffled, glitter-ridden head turns towards Lukas, waiting for him to continue with a mixture of trepidation, fear and in Kliff’s case admirable indifference. It’s almost overwhelming sometimes, how much these kids he’s found look up to him, how full his empty house feels whenever they come over. He doesn’t quite understand why yet, but he likes to think he might be getting there.

In the meantime he clears his throat, poking his food with his fork. “You guys might have let the sauce burn, but I think it adds a certain something to the overall taste.” 

“It’s only edible because Silque remembered to turn off the stove at some point,” Grey mumbles under his breath, and Silque nods sagely from where she’s sitting across from him. She’s also the one with the least glitter stains, but Lukas suspects that’s got more to do with her ability to dodge than with any adult-like facade she might like to put on. 

Next to Tobin, Alm laughs a little. “I’m sorry, I’m the one who started it in the first place. And Faye, Faye’s guilty too.”

Lukas watches as Faye pokes her tongue out at Alm but doesn’t deny the accusations, instead bumping her shoulder against Silque’s in a conspiratory manner. This time he doesn’t bother to hide his smile; he just lets himself soak in the atmosphere, the decorations, the warm food in his belly and the people around him. 

It’s the best Christmas he’s had in a long time and something tells him it’ll be the first of many.


End file.
